Door for conveyers.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

M. O. SGHWAB.

DOOR FOR GONVEYERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VINVENTOR 760% C. SM

WITNESSES 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN C. SCHWAB, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GRAVITY CONVEYORCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DOOR FOR CONVEYERSQ Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented May 7, 1907.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN C. SCHWAB, a citizenof the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Doors for Conveyers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to conveyers, particularly gravity conveyers, andhas for one of its objects the provision of a door of simplifiedconstruction for an opening in a conveyer.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a door for a conveyeropening which may accommodate goods at different heights from a floorlevel or from a truck.

Other objects will appear hereinafter, the novel combination of partsbeing set forth'in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a spiral gravity conveyer inelevation with certain portions broken away and with my inventionapplied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a modification.

1O designates the conveyer in general. In detail, 11 designates theouter casing and 13 the inner core or shell. Between the casing and coreis interposed the spiral blade 12 which may be of any suitable material.To this blade is connected at its lower end the inclined platform 23.This platform joins the spiral surface with the floor 20 through theexit opening 21. The upper end 18 of the spiral blade 12 is shown levelwith the floor 40 but this arrangement may be varied as desired.

Above the spiral 12 and conforming thereto, I have shown a spiral-shapedopening 81 in the outer casing 1 1. This opening may be of any suitabledimensions, and one may be on each floor when the conveyer extendsthrough a plurality of floors or landings. In this instance, I haveshown the lower edge of the opening a short distance above the spiralsurface, the edge of the spiral blade at this portion of the conveyerbeing shownby the dotted lines 20. I may, however, extend the opening 81down to the spiral surface so that the opening may serve as an exitopening, the descending packages being thrown out by centrifugal force.

Arranged to fully cover the opening 81 and corresponding in shapethereto, I provide a door 22, the ends and 25 of which may becylindrical in shape so that the door may be mounted to slide up anddown on the vertical fixed rods 24 and 24, respectively. These rods areprovided with lower limit stops 27 and 27 and upper limit stops 26 and26. Knobs 23 and 23 are shown for lifting the door 22 and a hook 28pivoted at 31 to the outer casing 11 is arranged to hold the door in itsopen position by the toe 29 engaging the pin 30 secured to the uppercentral portion of the said door.

If desired, the door may be arranged to swing open, in which casesuitable fastening means may be provided to retain the door in closedposition.

' In any case it is preferable that the door 22 be s irally shaped sothat its edges 34 and 35 shallconform to the opening 81 and the spiralblade 12 of the conveyer. It is evident that with an opening 81 asshown, articles may be fed into the conveyer at different heights fromthe floor or landing 30 or from trucks loaded to various heights.Furthermore, if the opening is constructed as an exit opening goods maybe taken from the conveyer at various elevations.

In Fig. 2 are shown certain modifications which will now be described.In general the parts are the same as in Fig. 1, but it will be seen thatbetween the floor or landings 30 and the opening 81 shown in Fig. 1 isdivided by the vertical strips 93 into three openings 84, 85 and 86.Between the floors or landings 40 and are shown openings with closingmeans of different design, a cas ing 87 being provided for reinforcingthe outer sheet 1 1 adjacent these openings. The opening 82 is shown asa square opening, opening 81 as a horizontal parallelogram and 83 as avertical parallelogram.

Any other suitable opening may be used and they may be placed at anydesired height from the floor and on any side of the conveyer, but it ispreferable to place them adjacent and above the spiral surface and alsonear each other.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the opening 82 provided with a swinging door 88,flat or conforming to'the shape of the outer shell 1 1 and hinged at 89above the opening. The opening 81 has a door 90 hinged at 93 at one sideof the opening. The opening 83 is shown provided with a door 91 adaptedto slide in the vertical guide-Ways 92 and be retained in its upperposition by the hook 28.

l have shown the opening 81 as an exit opening since its lower sidemeets the edge 20 of the spiral 12 and descending articles would bethrown out by centrifugal force. The opening 83 could also be made anexit opening in the same way if desired, but I have shown it as anintake opening, so also the opening 82, since its lower edge is abovethe spiral surface.

Having thus described my invention and. without limiting myself to thedetails of construction or arrangement of parts herein shown anddescribed, but reserving the right to vary the same within the spiritand scope of my invention what I claim and desire to have protected byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination of a landing,and a conveyer having openings therein to accommodate articles beingplaced in or taken from the conveyer at different heights from thelanding.

2. The combination with a conveyer having openings in close proximity toeach other to accommodate articles being placed in or takenfrom theconveyer at different heights, of means for supporting said conveyer,and doors for said openings.

' 3. The combination with an outer casing, of an inner core, a spiralblade interposed between said casing and core, said outer casing havinga series of openings above said spiral blade, and in close proximity toeach other and doorsfor said openings.

4. The combination with an outer casing, of an inner core, a spiralblade interposed between said casing and core, said outer casing havinga series of openings in close proximity to each other and eachconforming in shape to the spiral blade, and means for closing saidopenings.

5. The combination with a landing, of a conveyer having a series ofopenings therein to accommodate articles being placed in or taken fromthe conveyer at diiferent heights from the landing, and a door forclosing all of said 0 enings.

6. he combination with an outer casing, of an inner core, a spiral bladeinterposed between said casing and core, a landing, said outer casinghaving a series of openings at or near the spiral blade and conformingin shape thereto, said openings permitting articles being placed on ortaken from the spiral blade at different heights from the landing, and asingle door for closing all of said openings.

7. The combination with a conveyer having an inclined opening therein,of a sliding door for said opening, upper and lower limit stops for thedoor, means for opening the door, and means for retaining the door inopen position.

8. The combination with floor landings, of an outer casing and an innercore, a spiral blade interposed therebetween, a door for a spiralopening in the outer casing above a landing, rods on which-said door is'slidably mounted, stops on said rods to limit the upward and downwardmovements of said door,

means for lifting the door, and means comprising a hook for retainingsaid door in open position.

9. The combination with an outer casing and an inner core, of a spiralblade interposed therebetween, a landing for the conveyer, a slidingdoor for a spiral-shaped opening above the landing and in the outercasing, rods on which the door is mounted, upper limit stops and lowerlimit stops for the door, means for opening the door, and fasteningmechanism for holding the door in open position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence. of two subscribing witnesses.

' MARTIN C. SCHWAB. Witnesses:

CARL P. SCHROEDER, KENNETH LOOKETT.

